Hugo Award Winner Book Review: Slan, A. E. van Vogt, 1941

Slan, by A. E. van Vogt, was first published in 1940 and won the retro Hugo award for best novel of 1941 (awarded in 2016).

It is a science fiction story, pretty typical of the genre of the time, but with a very original plot. I think it holds up quite well today, other than some scientific explanations of atomic power.

The language used and lack of historical references means that the novel is not too dated and feels quite modern.

The abilities of the protagonist (which could be described as a type of superman) were perhaps a little over the top, reminding me in some ways of the Lensmen in E. E. Smith's Skylark series.

Generally considered to be A. E. van Vogt's best novel, I would highly recommend it as an easy and enjoyable read for science fiction fans.

As a final piece of trivia, A. E. van Vogt was born in Winnipeg, Canada, and was living and working in Ottawa when he wrote this novel. He subsequently moved to Los Angeles when his writing career took off, and remained there for the rest of his life.

Hugo Award Winner Book Review: The Sword in the Stone, T.H White, 1939

[Note: In this and subsequent reviews I will attempt to avoid any major spoilers, but read it at your own risk if you are planning to read any of these books.]

This is the book that was awarded the oldest retro Hugo award to date, and was my starting point for my goal of reading all the Hugo award-winning novels.

Must Hugos are science fiction, but this one is pure fantasy. I'm not a huge fan of the genre (I have enjoyed some though, like the Tolkien books), but I expect as part of my journey I may read some novels that are not to my liking. In fact it was a very enjoyable book and was quite an easy read.

The book tells the story of "Wart", the foster son of Sir Ector, a nobleman who rules a part of England in the middle ages. After their tutor leaves, Wart and Sir Ector's son Kay acquire a new tutor by the name of Merlin (spelled "Merlyn" in the novel). They have many adventures, eventually culminating in the major event that is referenced in the title of the book.

Published in 1939, it combines drama, history, events from the Arthurian legend, and comedy. There are some references to contemporary life (at least of the 1930s). The book eventually became the first of a four part series of novels.

If the name sounds familiar to you, its may be because if formed the basis of a 1963 Walt Disney animated film of the same name. The film follows roughly the same plot as the novel, with some notable differences. Reading the book, it is easy to see how it lent itself to an animated film, due to the use of magic and other elements that would be hard to portray in a live action film (before the days of CGI).

The book contains some very poetic passages, and what to me appear to be quite accurate descriptions of castles and other aspects of life at that time.

I initially wasn't sure it the book was aimed adults or young adults. I would say it appeals equally to both. Many of the terms and words are obscure, but not necessary to follow the plot, and are easy enough to look up today.

I would rate this book as a forgotten classic which is not generally well-known today but should appeal to any reader of, say, the Harry Potter books or the writings of Tolkien who is looking for something new to read.

Very few fantasy novels won the Hugo award, possibly no others until 2001 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.